Skyrim 1.4 Update, Creation Kit On Their Way

Skyrim's creators have announced that Skyrim's hefty 1.4 update is just about finalized and that their modder-friendly Creation Kit and new Steam Workshop are "nearly ready".

The 1.4 update is fairly extensive and is currently being tested on all three platforms. It'll include fixes and optimizations for the most common issues people have reported, including "long term play optimizations for memory and performance" for the somewhat maligned PS3 version.

I've included the vast majority of the fixes and tweaks below.

Skyrim's developer, Bethesda Softworks, said in a blog post that they're hoping to finalize the update "next week, and submit it to the console manufacturers for certification, as well as release on PC."

Regarding the Creation Kit and Steam Workshop:

The Creation Kit and Steam Workshop are nearly ready. We’re currently working with members of Valve and our modding community to do some final testing, and we’re on track for a public release near the end of the month. We think Skyrim modding is one of the game’s best features, and we have the best modders of any game. It’s been a lot of exciting work for us, and we can’t wait to unleash it.

The company's plan is to initially release their updates as “beta” versions through Steam. This is something users will be able to opt into through Steam and back-out of if needed. Bethesda sees this opt-in / opt-out flexibility as an extra safety check and hopes it will "expedite and improve our updating process for our PC users."

They've promised additional info and clarifications on the how it'll all work soon.

As for all those changes coming in update 1.4 (all platforms unless noted):

NEW FEATURES

Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

General optimizations for memory and performance

Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin’s in player’s house. (PS3)

Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)

Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)

Memory optimizations related to scripting

Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI

Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”

Fixed rare crash with loading saved games

Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line